Below is the definitive rundown on how much a vintage engagement rings should cost. There are many factors that expert collectors will employ when pricing a ring. We will try and go through the most important elements.

Evaluating Vintage Rings

Here are the 3 most important elements when determining the value of a vintage ring:

Value of the diamond

Value of the mounting

Premium for signed and rare pieces

Value of the Diamond

Though it wasn’t always this way, the value of the diamond is becoming much more of a cut-and-dry business. The diamond is evaluated based on the the 4c’s and that is its worth.

The prices can fluctuate and won’t remain perfectly steady of a long period of time.

Here are some examples of the approximate price of a round and European cut diamond as of January 12th, 2016:

Value of the Mounting

The cost of the material (Platinum, Gold, and Silver) and the cost of the accenting stones (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, onyx and aquamarine).

The cost of the labor.

Vintage engagement rings are typically handmade and so in addition to the cost of all the materials, there is also the cost of the labor.

Many of the vintage rings made over sixty years ago will have superior craftsmanship, and the cost of the ring will usually reflect that.

Premium for signed and rare pieces

Every antique ring is different, and rare vintage rings will always carry a premium. It is also very common for signed vintage rings (Tiffany, Cartier, VCA etc…) to fetch an even higher premium due to their rarity.

Unlike diamonds, there aren’t any standard methods for determining the cost of the rarity of a vintage ring.

Each ring will usually be calculated based on how much the collector paid and how much he believes the ring is worth. Often, collectors will pay a lot more than the actual value of a vintage ring and will then go ahead and sell it for even more. The rarer the ring, the more that it’s worth.

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Benjamin Khordipour is one of the researchers and gemologists at Estate Diamond Jewelry. He received his gemological degrees from both GIA and GUBELIN.

Benjamin was born in New York and joined Estate Diamond Jewelry in 2014. He is passionate about vintage jewelry and vintage diamonds. This blog was built based on his strong belief that there is a responsibility for jewelers to properly educate their customers.